The February breeze, carrying a lingering chill, swept across the newly constructed commercial street in the city. The asphalt surface gleamed with a damp sheen, and the newly planted sycamore trees were still wrapped in straw ropes, their tender new buds so delicate they seemed to burst with moisture. Lin Wanqiu stood in front of the shop she had chosen, her fingertips tracing the fresh wood grain of the door frame, her heart filled with anticipation—in just half a month, the sign for "Wanqiu Food Shop" would hang here, and the familiar sweet aroma would waft through the air.

Shen Tingzhou was checking the counter dimensions with the renovation worker, the blueprints in his canvas bag rustling slightly in the wind. He looked up and saw Lin Wanqiu's smile, and a warmth appeared in his eyes as well: "The worker said the counter will be ready next week. Then we can put up the shelves and start our trial operation."

"Great!" Lin Wanqiu turned around and took out a newly drawn price list from her bag. It was written in colored chalk: "Red date paste 1.2 yuan per jin" and "Sesame brittle 1.5 yuan per jin". There were also small drawings next to it. "I was thinking of doing a promotion during the trial opening, giving away a small bag of peanut candy with purchases of two yuan or more to attract customers."

Just as Shen Tingzhou was about to speak, he heard arrogant footsteps behind him. A man in a dark blue Zhongshan suit, accompanied by two shop assistants, swaggered over, his gaze sweeping over the shop door. A mocking smile curled at the corner of his mouth: "This is the place you said you were going to open a food store? I thought it would be something grand, but it's just a small, run-down shack."

Lin Wanqiu frowned. She had never seen this person before, but his tone was clearly hostile. Shen Tingzhou stepped forward, blocking Lin Wanqiu's path, his tone calm yet threatening: "Comrade, please watch your words. This is a shop we rented; it's not your place to comment."

The man sneered, pulled out a folded piece of paper, and waved it around. "Rented? I heard this shop hasn't even had a formal contract yet. My name is Wang Fugui, and I own 'Fugui Food Shop.' I have three branches in the city, and I reserved this prime location on the commercial street a long time ago." The henchmen behind him chimed in, "That's right! Boss Wang is a celebrity in our city. You guys from the county town dare to compete with Boss Wang for a shop?"

Lin Wanqiu's heart sank—Old Yang had clearly said that as long as they signed the letter of intent, the shop would be reserved for them. How could Wang Fugui suddenly appear? She took out her phone (a modern phone in her spatial storage, usually used for recording accounts) and pulled up her chat history with Old Yang (simulating a modern scene, using a note instead): "We have already signed a letter of intent with Comrade Yang from the supply and marketing cooperative. He said he would help us with the procedures. How could we not have made a reservation yet?"

Wang Fugui snatched the note, threw it on the ground without even looking at it, and ground it under his foot: "Comrade Yang? He's just a low-level clerk, can he make decisions? I've already spoken to the director of the supply and marketing cooperative, I'm taking this shop!" He leaned close to Lin Wanqiu and threatened, "Be smart, return the letter of intent now, or I'll make sure you can't open a shop in the city!"

Shen Tingzhou grasped Lin Wanqiu's hand, his eyes turning cold: "Boss Wang, business is about first come, first served. We've already reached a preliminary agreement with the supply and marketing cooperative. Isn't it unreasonable for you to forcibly take it from us like this?"

"Reason?" Wang Fugui scoffed. "In the city, my word is law!" He turned to his shop assistant and said, "Go, move all the renovation materials out of here. This shop is mine now!"

The men immediately tried to rush inside, but Shen Tingzhou stopped them. Shen Tingzhou, a former soldier, was agile and quickly blocked them at the door. Wang Fugui, seeing this, was furious, his face turning red: "So, you dare to lay a hand on me! I'm going to the commune to report you for intentionally injuring someone!"

Lin Wanqiu pulled Shen Tingzhou back and said calmly, "Boss Wang, we don't want to cause trouble, but we won't let you bully us either. Since you said you've spoken to the director of the supply and marketing cooperative, let's go to the cooperative together and make things clear in front of the director to see who should get the shop."

Wang Fugui was taken aback by Lin Wanqiu's assertiveness, then became arrogant again: "Fine, I'll go! Do you think I'm afraid of you?"

The group arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative. Old Yang saw them and quickly came up to them: "Wanqiu, Tingzhou, what brings you here? Is there something wrong with the shop?"

Wang Fugui spoke first: "Officer Yang, what's going on? I already told the director that I wanted to rent shops in the commercial street, so why did you sign a letter of intent with them?"

Old Yang frowned: "Boss Wang, Lin Wanqiu and her group took a liking to this shop first, and we've already signed a letter of intent. According to the rules, they should be given priority."

At this moment, the director of the supply and marketing cooperative came out of his office. When he saw Wang Fugui, his expression softened: "Fugui, what's going on? Why are you making such a fuss?"

Wang Fugui immediately stepped forward, looking aggrieved: "Director, you have to stand up for me! I wanted to open a branch in the commercial street, and I had already told you about it, but Officer Yang gave the shop to these people from the county town. They don't know anything about doing business. Isn't this a waste of a good location?"

The director looked at Lin Wanqiu and Shen Tingzhou, his tone indifferent: "You two are from the county town? I heard you opened a food store there and business is pretty good, but the city is different from the county town, the competition is fierce, and you may not be able to do well. How about this, you give the store to Fugui, and I'll find you a place elsewhere, with a discount on the rent."

Lin Wanqiu felt a chill in her heart; it turned out the director had long favored Wang Fugui. She took a deep breath and took out the samples she had brought—sesame brittle, peanut brittle, and red date paste—and placed them in front of the director: "Director, although we come from the county town, the quality of our products is absolutely guaranteed. You can try them. Our sesame brittle uses top-quality sesame seeds, hand-roasted, without any additives; the red date paste uses Xinjiang grey dates, pitted and peeled, with a delicate texture. Moreover, our store in the county town is always in high demand, and many customers are repeat customers."

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